In the balance of capacity and efficiency, I lean more toward filling to my capacity. I know I can comfortably carry 35lbs all day, so if I have the space, I bring a few excess items that I feel enhance my my time in the wilderness. What fun is traveling light if you can’t bring … More Trail Tools: Cutting Wood
A pulk is an adapted sled that you pull behind you to haul your gear. It allows you to haul more gear with less effort, taking the weight off your body and legs. During the winter it becomes a huge asset. The document below is available here and does a great job of summarizing build options and … More Winter Camping: You Want a Pulk
I’m going to be straight with you, you don’t need a tarp but you’ll want to have one. After all my adventures camping and backpacking for the last decade I have never needed a tarp. Tarps to me always seemed like accessories or even luxuries, nice to have but it certainly never made it on any of … More Tarps; shed the rain & boost morale.
Last fall, a couple buddies and I hiked the Border Route Trail, an amazing 65 mile wilderness hike along the Minnesota – Canada border. One of my cohort created a couple of videos documenting our trip. It’s a bit delayed, but look out for a write-up in the future.
It started off like most camping trips: talk of gear and schedules, repeated trips to REI, and sugar plums dancing through our heads. We had 4 guys, gear, and a plan. Originally, we had picked a section of the Superior Hiking Trail for this trip, but the deer hunting opener was the same weekend as … More Falling Into Winter: Backpacking in November, Part I
Holy crap. April is gone, and our wedding tour of the Midwest is taking its toll on my energy, time, and wallet. I wasn’t able to get a camping trip in during the month of April. I don’t know if I’m allowed to make it up or not. I guess that kind of forfeits my … More Reality sucks
So, as could be expected, I waited until the last weekend of March to get my camping trip in. I was really hoping it would warm up and stay above 40F over night. That wasn’t quite the case, but it was bearable. I started planning on Wednesday for my over-nighter on Friday. I made a … More TWC – March
That has to be one of the most overused first post titles, but it seemed a fitting place to start. My last manager has a son who is a boy scout. This young scout had set out to achieve a traditional boy scout award: the Twelve-month Camping Award. (I’ll call it an award, because I’m … More In the beginning
Monkey with Chainsaw 